Machine for reducing wood to pulp and fiber



(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

. P.,EVANS. M a 0 1 i ne for Reducing Wood to Pulp and FibHer. NO. 236,794. Patented Jan.18, I881.

N. Pm, FNOTO-LIINOGRAPHEH. WASHINGTON, II C,

m -meg. 2Sheets8l1eet 2.

I G-.,,P. EVANS Machine for ReducingWpod t0 Pulp and Fiber.

No. '23I ,7.94. I Patented Jan. 18, I881.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Gr. FRANK EVANS, OF MECHANIC FALLS, MAINE.

MACHINE FOR REDUCING WOOD TO PULP AND FIBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,794, dated January 18, 1881.

Application filed November 10, 1880. (Model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, G. FRANK EVANS, of Mechanic Falls, in the county of Androscoggin and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Machines for Reducing Wood to Pulp and Fiber, of which the followin g is a clear and exact description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in whichro Figure 1 is a top view of a device embodying my invention for producing long fibers. Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a top view of my invention with cutters in position, by which 1 short fibers are produced. Fig. 5 is an end view of Fig. 4, showing the position of the cut ter B at point I. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the cutter. Fig. 7 is a view of the arbor or spindle upon which the cutter is mounted.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a round body of wood mounted upon centers or chucks L L and capable of being revolved by pulleys O, or by any of the well-known means of imparting rotating motion.

2 5 B designates the cutters, the cutting surfaces or edges of which are made in the periphery of a solid metal cylinder, or the cylinder may be composed of short sections secured together in any convenient and reliable man- 0 ner to form the cutting-cylinder of any desired length. As before stated, the cutting-edges are formed in the periphery of the cylinder in a straight or spiral form by cutting, grinding, or casting, or in any convenient manner. Be-

3 5 neath the cutting-edges are recesses or rounded cut -away portions a, formed so that the cutting-edges stand forward of a (liametrical line from the base of said cutters, and in the grinding of the cutters the metal is removed so as to preserve the original form and the trueness of the periphery of the cutting-cylinder, so that the cutting-edges are enabled to make a uniform product, which is a very important matter.

mounted in bearings M and N in the bracket or support B, and a set or feeding screw, D, working in a stud or standard,D, and through the bracket or support B, serves to feed the cutters forward to impinge on the block of wood A, and gages the width of the fiber to be The cutting cylinders are' cut, while the number of revolutions per minute, or the velocity given to the cutting-cylinder, determines the fineness of the fiber.

J is a pulley by which power is applied to the cutting-cylinder.

It is obvious that any of the well-known automatic feed devices may be applied in any convenient manner to feed either the cutter or body of wood one to the other.

When the block of wood has been reduced in size by the action of the cutter to near the points of support on the centers or chucks it can be removed and placed in the cone-shaped holder or guide E, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and subjected to the action of the diagonallyarranged cutter, by which means the entire block can be reduced to pulp. The fiber produced by the diagonally arranged cutter is shorter than that produced by having the cutter parallel with the grain of the wood.

I may not only use the core or heart of the log left from the cutter (shown in Fig. 1,) but large pieces of timber may be used or reduced to pulp or fiber by this means.

The holder or guide E is cone-shaped, and is firmly secured to a standard, G. The guide or holder is made hollow in order to receive and hold the block or log of wood to be operated upon; and a recess or aperture, H, in the side of the guide or holder, permits the cutter to operate upon the wood and out the fiber in a line diagonal to its length.

It is obvious that by the peculiar construction of the cutters I am enabled to make a quick, clean, and positive cut from the wood without generating heat by friction to burn or char the fiber, as is the result of a scraping action. Also, that by imparting to the wood to be operated upon a rotating motion, either in the same or in an opposite direction to 0 that of the cutter, a fresh, even, and straight surface is constantly presented to the action of the cutters.

Instead of revolving the block of wood a reciprocating or oscillating motion may be im- 5 parted to the same in order to prevent each revolving cutting-edge at each revolution from operating upon the entire surface of that part of the body of wood presented to the action of the cutters, thus preventing undue friction, Ioc

and without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I am aware that wood has been ground to pulp by feeding the same into aconical grinder the inside of which hasbeen provided with cutting-edges or serrations for actingon the fibers in lines crosswise of their length.

I am also aware that spiral scrapers have been used to scrape the fibers from a block of wood fed forward to said scrapers.

I am also aware that blocks of wood have been made to revolve so as to impinge against stationary knives; but such I do not claim.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a machine for producing wood-fiber for paper and other articles, the cutting-cylinder herein described, provided with the outting-edges which stand forward of a diametrical line from the base of said cutters, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a reciprocating, oscillating, or revolving body of wood, and devices for holding and imparting the desired motion to the same, with a revolving cuttingcylinder, whereby the fibers are uniformly cut from said body of wood, and an even plane or convex surface constantly presented to the action of said cutting-cylinder.

3. The cone-shaped holder E, with an opening, H, therein,in combination with a cuttingcylinder set parallel with the sides of said holder, whereby the fibers are cut from the block of wood in lines crosswise of their length, 35 

